Songs That Tug At Your Emotions – Song #7

The seventh consecutive day of songs in this series.

I have been giving you Raaga Based Songs of the Day (eg, ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #83‘) for the last nearly three months now. Many of you, who know your music well, have at times pointed out that a particular song, though ostensibly close to one raaga has traces of other raagas or has deviated substantially from the chosen raaga. I have readily admitted that, pointing out that it is not the job of the film songs composers to stick to the purity of any raaga. Their job is to produce tunes that would be popular and would tug at the emotions of the listeners.

With that in mind, I started a new series a week ago to give you songs that tug at your emotions even when they are not based on any raagas.

These are the songs that stay in the creases of your mind long after you last heard them, somewhat like the strains of the song of The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth.

I also feel that these are the songs that make you wonder whether the lyrics influenced you more or the composition or is it the composition that made you look at the beauty of the lyrics?

The first of these was put together by lyricist Shailendra and composer Salil Chowdhury and singer Talat Mahmood for the 1957 Dulal Guha movie Ek Gaon Ki Kahani starring Talat Mahmood, Mala Sinha and Abhi Bhattacharya: Raat ne kyaa kyaa khwaab dikhaaye (‘Songs That Tug At Your Emotions – Song #1‘).

Our last one, that is the sixth one, was put together by lyricist Gulzar, composer and singer Hemant Kumar for the 1969 Asit Sen movie Khamoshi: Tum pukaar lo (‘Songs That Tug At Your Emotions – Song #6‘).

We have so far covered the following male playback singers in Hindi movies: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh and Hemant Kumar. Lets, therefore, take up today a song sung by Mahendra Kapoor.

Mahendra Kapoor considered Mohammad Rafi his guru, even though he learnt classical music under classical singers like Pt. Hussanlal, Pt. Jagannath Bua, Ustad Niaz Ahmed Khan, Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan and Pt.Tulsidaas Sharma. This devotion towards his initial inspiration (Rafi) continued throughout his life. Annu Kapoor on Mastii channel once related this anecdote about a felicitation ceremony for Mahendra Kapoor after Mohammad Rafi’s demise. As Mahendra Kapoor was being garlanded on stage, he noticed Mohammad Rafi’s son, Shahid Rafi, sitting in the audience. Mahendra Kapoor called Shahid Rafi on stage, touched his feet, took out his garland and garlanded Shahid Rafi and said, “How can I be felicitated when the son of my guru is present?” Remarkable humility, you would say. I would like to add that the real great of that era had it, which included Mohammad Rafi himself. With this devotion, Mahendra Kapoor must have been excited about singing a song with Mohammad Rafi (the only one he sang) for the 1967 movie Aadmi in which Mohammad Rafi sang for Dilip Kumar and Mahendra Kapoor sang for Manoj Kumar: Kaisi haseen aaj baharon ki rat hai. Indeed, most often than not, Mahendra Kapoor sang for Manoj Kumar; one MK singing for another MK.

Some of the popular songs of Mahendra Kapoor are: Tere pyar ka aasra chahta hoon (1959, Dhool Ka Phool), Aap aayi to khyaal-e-dil-e-nashad aaya (1963, Gumraah), Mera pyaar woh hai (1965, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi), Badal jaaye agar mali (1966, Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi), Ye kali jab talak phool ban ke khile (1966, Aaye Din Bahaar Ke, duet with Lata Mangeshkar), Mere desh ki dharti (1967, Upkaar), Neele gagan ke tale and Na munh chhupa ke jiyo (1967, Hamraaz), Laakhon hain yahan dilwaale (1968, Kismat), Jiske sapane hamen roz aate rahe (1970, Geet), Bharat ka rehnewala hoon (1970, Purab Aur Paschim), Hey Ramchander keh gaye siya se (1970, Gopi), Iktara bole (1970, Yaadgaar), Aur nahin bas aur nahin (1974, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan), Fakira chal chala chal (1975, Fakira), Ab ke baras (1981, Kranti), Kab talaq shama jali and Jab yaad ki badli chhati hai (1983, Painter Babu).

Mahendra Kapoor won National Award for Best Singer for the Upkar song: Mere desh ki dharti. He won three Filmfare Awards, the first one for the song from 1963 movie Gumrah that I am giving you today, which is undoubtedly his best. The others were in 1968 for Neele gagan ke tale, and in 1975 for Aur nahin bus aur nahin.

The song that I have taken for you today is from the 1963 BR Chopra movie Gumrah that made waves, as most BR Chopra movies, of a theme of lovers Sunil Dutt and Mala Sinha trying to carry on with their former love affair despite Mala Sinha having been married to Ashok Kumar since then in order to save the children of her dead sister Nirupa Roy from ill-treatment from a step-mother. Therefore, in the movie, she is caught between love for her lover (Sunil Dutt) and duty to her husband (Ashok Kumar).

Sahir Ludhianvi was the lyricist. Some of his best penned songs are to be found in this movie; songs such as Aa bhi jaa, Aap aaye to khayal-e-dil-e-nashad aaya, and In hawayon mein in fizaayon mein tujhako mera pyaar pukaare. The song Chalo ik baar phir se ajanabee ban jaayen hum dono is one of the best he has penned and competes with Hum Dono’s Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya as his best. The song brings out the impossibility of the situation of erstwhile lovers after she has already married another man. The song was composed by Ravi and sung very well indeed by Mahendra Kapoor.

It meets the demands of the criteria set by me for inclusion in this series because it makes you think. In the end, you have as divided emotions as the lead cast.

Please enjoy: Chalo ik baar phir se ajanabee ban jaayen hum dono…

चलो इक बार फिर से, अजनबी बन जाएं हम दोनो
चलो इक बार फिर से …

न मैं तुमसे कोई उम्मीद रखूँ दिलनवाज़ी की
न तुम मेरी तरफ़ देखो गलत अंदाज़ नज़रों से
न मेरे दिल की धड़कन लड़खड़ाये मेरी बातों से
न ज़ाहिर हो तुम्हारी कश्म-कश का राज़ नज़रों से
चलो इक बार फिर से …

तुम्हें भी कोई उलझन रोकती है पेशकदमी से
मुझे भी लोग कहते हैं कि ये जलवे पराए हैं
मेरे हमराह भी रुसवाइयां हैं मेरे माझी की – २
तुम्हारे साथ भी गुज़री हुई रातों के साये हैं
चलो इक बार फिर से …

तार्रुफ़ रोग हो जाये तो उसको भूलना बेहतर
ताल्लुक बोझ बन जाये तो उसको तोड़ना अच्छा
वो अफ़साना जिसे अंजाम तक लाना ना हो मुमकिन – २
उसे एक खूबसूरत मोड़ देकर छोड़ना अच्छा
चलो इक बार फिर से …

The reason that I mentioned to you about mixed feelings is because even whilst he sings the song about forgetting their earlier love, all of us knwo that it is easier said than done. In the good old days Love used to be taken quite seriously and not as the Flavour of the Month. Hence, BR Chopra, indeed, dealt with a very difficult subject of those times and this song was representative of the difficulties involved. Hence, it left a lasting impression on my mind and I am moved every time I listen to it, more so because of its superb lyrics.

I hope you enjoyed it too.

Please await tomorrow’s song.